With a technical fluidity on his instrument, and strong connection to various forms of improvised music, James Owston is a bassist who stretches stylistic boundaries and pushes the instrument to its limit, drawing on many influences to develop a sound that is stylish, virtuosic and captivating.

Growing up in Gloucestershire playing the electric bass, James was introduced to jazz music, for which he quickly developed a passion, and transitioned onto double bass whilst studying at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Graduating in 2019 with a first-class degree with honours, he has gone on to forge a prolific career, playing and recording with many of the UK’s most highly regarded musicians, and leading multiple projects of his own. 

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James has led a variety of ensembles, but most notable is his quartet with which he recorded his debut album ‘Songs from an Imaginary Childhood’, featuring Alex Western-King, Nick Manz and Matthew Holmes. This music was written as part of the Jazz Central Mentorship programme in 2023, where James worked closely with Saxophonist, Trish Clowes, to create and develop this work. The music is inspired by the juxtaposition of seeing the world as it is now and through the lens of his childhood self, focusing specifically on how memories become distorted over time. The record will be released in February 2026 on Stoney Lane Records.

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Also in 2023, James toured with a trio across the UK. This trio consisted of a chordless line up, which James has long held a love for, and featured Alex Merritt on tenor saxophone and Euan Palmer on drums. The ensemble allowed James to explore and write music with few boundaries, resulting in original works that highlighted his fascination with contemporary harmonic and rhythmic concepts, and his connection to various figureheads in the history of jazz music. 

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In 2020, James worked with the Sounding Eye Collective and composed the music for their project ‘Dreamerfly, and Other Stories’.  This was a multidisciplinary work, and involved a collaboration with Beijing based artist/animator Shiyi Li. This project took multiple forms, starting as a remote recording (recorded in America and the UK due to COVID restrictions). The video was debuted live in October 2020 at the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry, as part of the Thirteen Ways of Looking Instillation, and eventually a full live performance was staged at the MAC, Birmingham, in September 2021.

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Through his work as a bandleader and prominent sideman, James has built a strong reputation as an exciting, engaging and innovative bassist. With roots in jazz and bebop, his work in contemporary and freely improvised music has given way to a playing style that is highly creative and receptive to the music happening around him. James is known as a virtuosic soloist, with ideas that emulate a horn player coupled with a language that utilises the unique sound of the double bass. He has played and recorded with a diverse range of musicians including Paul Dunmall, Jay Phelps, Alex Clarke, Mark Lockett, Neil Yates, John Turville, Roger Manins, Emily Masser, Xhosa Cole and in 2018 was a finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year award, performing at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with Gwilym Simcock and Asaf Sirkis.

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During his time at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, James received tutelage from world class musicians including Arnie Somogyi, Mark Hodgson, John O’Gallagher, Percy Pursglove, Mike Williams and many others. As well as this regular tuition, many visiting artists would lead masterclasses and projects, in which James was a regular participant, having the opportunity to learn from jazz greats such as Mark Turner, Walter smith III, Gilad Hekselman, Tim Berne, Matt Mitchell amongst others. James was selected to take part in multiple international projects, travelling to Norway, Italy and Thailand to perform and represent the Conservatoire. To conclude his studies, James composed a suite of music called ‘Splitting the Atom’. This was performed by his nonet and utilised ideas from Quantum/Astro-physics as inspiration for the compositions.

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